Beo-Marbh

Interpersonal Reactions

The following articles contain the various reactions people have to your hero, Beo-Marbh Across Trynnalta

Origin Archetypes

to a Beo-Marbh, its less about what their natural talents and cultural upbringing which creates career biases and more about earning a place for themselves in the world by proving their usefulness. Others use their ties to occult creatures and factions to syphon off dark knowledge and empower themselves:

• Fell Hunter, Enlisted Soldier, Gladiator, Iconoclast, Nomad, Occultist, Ritualist, Thief, Unusual Upbringing.

Character Archetypes

The hearty vigor and eerie strength of a Graveborn makes them excellent at combat roles such solders and bodyguards, if they can be tolerated, with many others choosing to gather arcane power and ascend above the misgivings of their kinsmen:

• Assassin, Bard, Brute, Jester, Necromancer, Sorcerer, Ranger, Thief.

Common Names

Feminine Names

Aigneis, Ceara, Elan, Muirgel, Ríona, Saorlaith, Tuathlaith

Male Names

Aogán, Banbhán, Donn, Fiachna, Mochuma, Rohan, Séafra

Family names

Depending on the nature of their birth, Beo-Marbh are, much like Changelings, often discarded. Without even the Changelings advantage of pretending to be human, the Beo-Marbh rarely make it to adulthood. Those that do are often formed in some other way and so do not typically bear a family name. Some may take names describing their usual haunts, such as Gilleece of the Barrowlands or Fíona of the Washer's Shoal.

Culture

Beo-Marbh do not have their own culture, but instead, often adopt facets of their parent culture. Predominately Daoine are the tribe the Beo-Marbh descend from and so, adopt those trappings. However, whatever culture a Beo-Marbh adopts, its one they are often forced to the margins in.

Native Language

Beo-Marbh are often fluent in Moni, though depending on their upbringing may know other languages.

Customs & Traditions

A common tradition among the Beo-Marbh is the Night Court, a rare and loosely organized gathering that forms when more than two of their kind happen to inhabit the same region. These Night Courts are established for mutual benefaction, providing support and camaraderie in their otherwise solitary existences. However, due to the Beo-Marbh's recalcitrant nature and propensity for in-fighting, these gatherings often dissolve as quickly as they form. Interestingly, many Night Courts include changelings, whom some Beo-Marbh see as kindred souls, sharing a bond over their mutual experiences of otherness and longing for belonging. Despite the tenuous nature of these Night Courts, they remain a testament to the Beo-Marbh's enduring desire for connection and solidarity.

Beo-Marbh tend to garb themselves in thick, dark attire. This is more out of necessity than fashion as even the waning sun of the inisa can cause a Beo-Marbh duress, making anything they do difficult. In this manner they tend to long coats and deep hoods, but may wear clothes more typical of the mortal tribes in the evenings.

Reactions

The most widely accepted origin of the Beo-Marbh traces back to the death of an Antecedence known as An Dearg Due, the Scarlet Woman. Legend has it that she is not only the forebear of the Beo-Marbh but also of all vampiric undead. When she was re-manifested by the Cult of the Broken Geas and then summarily executed by the heroes known as the Fianna Mór, the archfey known as the Queen of Night and Hunger swept in and consumed her ashes. However, in doing so, it is said that the night's wind swept some of the remaining ashes down into the nearby Sombergold. There, the ashes settled into the bones of the region's people, which is why Beo-Marbh are sometimes born.

Despite this widely accepted origin, there are notable inconsistencies, as Beo-Marbh can also be shaped by powerful necromantic rituals or arcane experiments conducted by hags. Whether born from the ashes of An Dearg Due, the dark rites of necromancers, or the twisted magic of hags, the Beo-Marbh's origins remain shrouded in mystery. Regardless of their true genesis, they are a relatively recent and often unwanted addition to Inis Mona. Their presence stirs unease among the inhabitants, who struggle to understand and accept these beings that embody the disquieting threshold between life and death.

Appearances

Daoine Beo-Marbh appear much as any of the classic descriptions of a vampire ranging in severity from a pale, drawn and cold looking person to what can only be described as a walking corpse. Beo-Marbh who draw their ancestry from Elfin Children retain their lithe grace, but their natural affiliations looks dead, dry and desiccated.

Fwoarian Beo-Marbh are rare, but technically possible. These hulking monsters appear much like Daoine Beo-Marbh, save for their implacable frame. While they retain their height and general dimensions, Fwoarian Beo-Marbh are desiccated and so do not have the same mass as a normal Fwoarian. Many refer to this species of Beo-Marbh as Grave Giants, although this is sometimes confusing as there's a species of Giantkin with a similar name.

While Huldufolk exemplify the night as a facet of the natural world, they are not immune to bearing Beo-Marbh offspring or having it foisted on them. When this is case, it affects them much like Elfin Children. Their features that allude to the natural world warp and change, but in a specific way. Beo-Marbhism seems to exacerbate the bat-like traits in Huldufolk, even if their family is not predisposed to them. This results in monstrous bat-faced Huldufolk that drive the legends of vampires more so than any other form of Beo-Marbh.

Beo-Marbh in the Scorched Realms

In the lands of the Scorched Realms, the Kitajal who have gone through the Empyrean Rite and are Uplifted need not fear the effects of becoming a Graveborn, or what is known to them as Adze. Adze are said to be created when a person is possessed by an evil firefly spirit during a full moon on an odd-numbered day of the Interdiction of Sorrow. It is worth noting that the word for Beo-Marbh and Vampire is used interchangeably, both are Adze, and the typical response to either is similar; discomfort to abject terror.

This may or may not be true, but some scholars are quick to point out that Adze activity increases during a period of the year where storm clouds obscure the sun for many days at a time. Perhaps, its the lack of sun that makes Adze more active, and not an eclectic creation myth. It is also particularly easy to discern if a Unknown is Adze, since they appear elongated, overly thin and cannot blend into their environments as their skin turns parchment-dry and will no longer change shades.

A place called the Scorched Realms is, obviously, not ideal for those near-living-dead who have difficulty tolerating the sun. As such, these creatures tend to congregate in places like Misahat Jamila or Chkrakarbieng Dot where forests are more available to hide within. Many even venture into the jungles of Samara Strima or disappear into the mountains surrounding Alsahra Alkubraa. Many whisper about strange, ancient structures in these areas populated by Adze and seemingly mirroring the practice of Night Courts on Inis Mona. Many claim that, not only do the Adze pray to the bat-god and the jackal-god, but those gods listen.

Beo-Marbh in the Riven Lands

In the lands of the Unknown, Syppria Iuna, the Beo-Marbh is given a very strange role in their society. Unlike Changelings which have literally no rights in Symeran society, the Beo-Marbh is granted a slight reprieve. Here they are referred to as Moon-Touched, and while the people of Syppria Iuna find them no less unsettling nor off-putting, they are at least tolerated. Many Unknown find uses for Moon-Touched Unknown as shock troops and elite personal guard. Though, kept out of eye-sight.

Symerans believe that the Moon-Touched are born from family lines that were once graced by an Artimpasan. However, the weight of divinity forever makes the bloodline bear Moon-Touched, a sort of culmination of that divine essence expressed poorly in the lineage. They are, essentially, considered lower-ranked Artimpasan with birth defects by Symeran culture. The mortal frame balks under the weight of this divinity causing their bestial features to appear rotten or fragile, their fur patchy and haggard, and their human features pale and drawn. Why they are hidden away until needed is obvious, and dehumanizing, even if their ruler gilds the cage.

Such a cage is gilded, however. Moon-Touched have specific requirements. There dislike of the sun means that they are often kept in communal cairns, chambers in mounds, that are lofty in decoration and soft of comforts. When they are needed their Shra or Hashra has them drawn from the Cairn in a window-less Unknown from which they are deployed as a merciless horde of elite shocktroops.

Beauty Ideals

Despite their outwardly decrepit appearance, the Beo-Marbh hold the same beauty ideals as traditional daoine, an unhelpful irony that adds to their tragic existence. This longing for an aesthetic normalcy starkly contrasts with their own grim visages, heightening their sense of alienation. Their gaunt features, pallid skin, and haunting presence are constant reminders of their divergence from the ideals they cherish, rendering their lives a poignant blend of desire and despair.

Courtship Ideals

Courtship among the Beo-Marbh is a complex and fraught endeavor, colored by deep-seated reluctance and mistrust. They are often hesitant to trust romantic overtures, perceiving them as potential jokes at their expense rather than genuine expressions of affection. This wariness leads many Beo-Marbh to refuse such advances outright, preferring solitude over the risk of humiliation. Additionally, some within this tribe view romance as a frivolous act, an unnecessary distraction from the weightier matters of their existence. As a result, many Beo-Marbh choose to forgo courtship altogether, embracing a life of solitude that shields them from the vulnerabilities of love and the potential pain of rejection.

Relationships

When it comes to platonic relationships, the Beo-Marbh are initially wary, but unlike digir or changelings, they tend to open up quickly. This rapid shift from caution to openness stems from their deep-seated longing to belong and connect with others. The Beo-Marbh, haunted by their isolation and the misunderstandings of others, are driven by a compulsion to find acceptance and companionship. Once a bond begins to form, their initial hesitance gives way to a surprising warmth and loyalty, revealing a depth of connection that speaks to their profound need for belonging.